When looking at any silver colored US modern clad coin (dime, quarter and half dollar), I find it amazing that it is EXPECTED to see a bit of the inner core color (coppery) on the outside edge. In fact, that is how most coin roll searches quickly go through rolls. Any coin that has only a silver edge is usually silver. Yet, if we look at Canadian coins... you don't see that same quality issue. Their coins are always nicely produced and typically have a conformed silver color throughout, even on the edge. Why do we (the US), or the mint allow such a poor level of quality? Is there just no pride in the details anymore?
Canadian coins are made of nickel-plated steel. US coins are made from a sandwich of copper between copper-nickel layers. They look exactly the way they're supposed to look. The processes are completely different. I'd much rather see a copper-colored layer in the edge, instead of an abomination like our current cents. With a less-active metal layered over a more-active metal, they're just little corrosion factories waiting for a small scratch or flaw to go into full poisonous-zinc-salt-production mode.
Why do you assume it is poor quality? Maybe a cost factor. At the same time it does not bother me one bit that the whole coin is not silver in color.
I only assume poor quality because of the look of the edge. Maybe it is a 'cost reduction' thing we are seeing... but that could bring us full circle to Canadian Coinage. Why aren't they having to cut corners like we do?
Without pulling out some books(or googlin) aren't the content of like the quarters (for example) different between America and Canada.
Canadian coins are made of nickel-plated steel. US coins are made from a sandwich of copper between copper-nickel layers. They look exactly the way they're supposed to look. The processes are completely different. I'd much rather see a copper-colored layer in the edge, instead of an abomination like our current cents. With a less-active metal layered over a more-active metal, they're just little corrosion factories waiting for a small scratch or flaw to go into full poisonous-zinc-salt-production mode.
Canadian quarters are only 3.8% copper. U.S. quarters are 91.67% copper. Not a quality control issue at all.
I thought it was intentional so vending machines would correctly recognize our coins. At least from history and memory I am pretty sure its done on purpose.
As jeffB said, it's more a difference of composition than workmanship. This is very basic stuff and I honestly was expecting, from the thread title, another 'discussion' about the 'quality' of the designs' art (ie high v. low relief, dead Presidents v. Liberty, etc). But this thread does at least put an uncommon twist on the subject of 'quality' that usually doesn't get discussed.
The clad coins were also a step taken to prevent counterfeiting. Making the clad strip was no easy procedure. Back in the 60's the only way to produce it was through explosive bonding. Literally packing explosives around the coppernickel and copper ingots using the force of the explosion to bond the ingots together. Then the ingots would be rolled out into strip. The sandwich appearance of the edge was yet another anti counterfeiting feature.
I'm no chemist , but I do know that for our coins to work in various vending machines they had to have a certain magnetic quality . Maybe the copper edge is part of that . I'm sure DesertGem could answer that for us . After all the way the coins look color wise have nothing to do with how well we stamp coins but how the planchet material is made .
Copper and silver have similar electrical conductivity. The copper clad coins were designed in 1964 to pass as silver coins in vending machines which used such a test.
Silver is a better conductor than copper. I understand you said similar, but a few years ago I learned this and was quite surprised.
The copper core is spread along the edge by the blanking press that punches the discs from sheets of metal. The copper core will hide one of the outer cladding layers. In other words you can see "silvery" color on one side and copper on the rest of the edge. The side that is silvery in color was the part of the sheet that was hit by the blanking press; the top die. The coppery side is the bottom. This is much more complicated on silver clad coins because the copper core has a high percentage of silver in it and is not a uniform color. It is often silvery in color which makes the entire edge look like silver and results in people thinking they have 1965 to '70 half dollars in 90% silver. Close inspection will usually show a color difference on the "top" side of the coin. It can be very subtle to virtually non-existent. So long as the layers don't separate they are within specifications. Many people don't like clad because they think it looks cheesy but most people who think this way are remembering silver coins or are unfamiliar with cu/ ni clad.
Yes, copper is better than steel anyday. Besides, it is real interesting about they clad the clads: it's a process called "explosion welding" to get those layers together. And then you sometimes get the error planchets with a missing nickel layer, which are cool.
I believe that your explanation is exactly opposite of what occurs cladking. The CnClad layer is relatively thin but pliable enough to stretch before breaking as the blank is force through a receiving hole. That stretched cladding stretches up to cover half if not more of the edge of the coin covering the copper core. This is one reason why the copper and cladding are exactly opposite on a genuine CnClad clip. Think of the blanking press as similar to a paper hole punch. A steel rod is force down onto the clad strip with enough force to push it through a hole. The bottom of the blank gets cladding stretched up onto the blank while the strip gets cladding stretched down into the hole created by the press. This was explained more effectively in a CONECA Errorscope Article a few years back.
Under specific conditions it's probably possible to smear the metal for the cladding layer over the copper core but This metal would be extremely thin and wear off very quickly (a couple years of circulation). I'm not certain I've ever seen it before but you will see various odd effects if you study these edges including silvery areas that span the side. The cu/ ni cladding is much stronger and harder than the copper core. Despite its thinness there are still no clads in circulation that have worn through to the copper. Of course your description of the blanking press is accurate and to my knowledge the rods (dies) are still on the top side. Certainly most clad coins have a thin cladding layer exposed on one side and the rest is copper colored. I believe this is the result of the die (rod) spreading the metal over the edge as the planchet is cut out. If so the side with the cladding visible would be the top of the planchet in the blanking press.
On the subject of "quality" it seems to me that US coinage has suffered not only in the quality of metal used, but also in the striking process. So many of the states and territorial quarters in particular have been so lightly struck that they are hard to read! Many of the designs simply do not lend themselves very well to small coins. Personally, my pet peeve is the very poor metal used in {copper plated} one cent coins. I have been a metal detector enthusiast for many years and have found thousands of real copper US penny's which have come out of the ground in excellent condition. These new copper clad coins have a life expectancy of about two years in average soil before corroding to pieces. These copper clad penny's are referred to as "stinken-Lincolns" because after a few years in the ground, they have no value at all having for the most part turned into oxide! On a personal note, it seems to me had our currency not become so inflated, perhaps the government could afford to make coins out of good metal instead of this junk they are fostering on the American people.
